Humble Curations: 5 Songs to Explore
Often, we get wrapped up in listening to a singular artist or music genre…to a point of obsession. We think we have found “the artist” or “the genre” – the one that just sounds perfect to our ears and minds in every way. With this discovery of a soon-to-be-favorite artist or genre, we enthusiastically create playlists with similar-sounding music, all suited to a certain mood or sound palette.
But after listening to our playlists on repeat for weeks and weeks nonstop, we start to feel as if those sounds are melting together in our headphones. The thrill of having discovered a certain artist or genre has faded, and our ears are bored, perhaps even fatigued at a certain point.
Thankfully, there is a wonderfully wide world of music out there. Here are five slightly adventurous songs to explore. While they may not be the most conventional listens, they certainly offer a great deal of sonic bliss. Headphones are always recommended!
- “Fantas” by Caterina Barbieri
This song features warm analog synthesizers that are born out of an atmospheric haze that progressively distills itself to a twinkly, melodic soundscape. The song’s ebb and flow is reminiscent of an airplane ride through the clouds 一 into the saturated, misty ambiance and out to the clear, bright tones.
The song ends in snapping, distorted bursts of electric sound – the last flashes of lightning in an exploratory aural storm. This is an ideal piece for people who are looking to get into electronic compositions but aren’t quite sure where to begin.
Barbieri crafted “Fantas” using modular synthesizers 一 generative electronic instrument components that are ultra-customizable. These components, or modules, are patched together with cables, resulting in the ability to combine numerous processors and filters together to create the perfect creative palette for the meticulous sculpting of sound.
- “Vancouver” by Jeff Buckley
“Vancouver” is a poetic, fervent take on rock, highlighting Jeff Buckley’s noteworthy lyricism, as well as his famously riveting vocals. Posthumously released in an album of sketches, the song wraps listeners in its emotionality and rock flair. Buckley’s voice carries a modern yet classically-swayed tonal quality, with a broad, expressive range and nearly operatic texture.
The song begins with an intriguingly pithy guitar riff and progresses with Buckley’s instantly-recognizable falsetto vocal delivery. The bridge breaks away from the rest of the song’s rhythm, providing listeners with a change that may catch them slightly surprised.
- “Wild Time” by Weyes Blood
Weyes Blood (Natalie Mering) has an utterly captivating voice. Her vocal style is often compared to that of a folk singer from the sixties. In “Wild Time,” she explores themes that are very much applicable to 2020’s chaotic manifestations and occurrences, singing the words, “It’s a wild time to be alive.”
Mering’s distinctly evocative psychedelic-folk style accompanies these themes in a nostalgic, yet fittingly contemporary way. The song’s splendid, galactic instrumentation includes acoustic guitar, lush synthesizers, and piano, taking listeners on a journey that ends back in its home of cognizance.
“Wild Time” is an ideal listen for anyone looking for a sonic escape from (but also a realization and acceptance of) the times that we currently live in.
- “mostly chimes” by Adrianne Lenker
“mostly chimes” is a piece that takes listeners’ minds to a clear lake, with its glassy, serene atmosphere of acoustic guitar, chimes, and the soft sounds of the outdoors. This is a wonderfully soothing, purely instrumental track 一 perfect for an uneasy morning, some time with nature, or a quiet and thoughtful afternoon.
Spanning a little over 16 minutes, “mostly chimes” is a recording that appeases one’s unsettled mind with its slow-paced, meditative, wind-driven appeal.
- “Parallelograms” by Linda Perhacs
Linda Perhacs made one album in the ’70s and was then completely out of sight in the music world until recently. The song “Parallelograms,” from her album of the same name, was one of that album’s highlights.
The song features a lovely cascading overlap of Perhacs’s vocals, soft and elegant, atop acoustic guitar and piano. It progresses with more dreamy, chorus-like vocal work until a surreal, percussive tumble occurs, throwing listeners into a psychedelic, thrilling territory of whispers, stumbles, and uncertainty.
In the end, the music resolves itself by climbing out of that territory and back into the light of day 一 back to the angelic vocals and soft piano and acoustic guitar bliss.
“Parallelograms” is a wonderful listen for those who enjoy a beautiful, eerie take on psychedelic folk.